I can't for the life of me figure out why the GOP can't run viable candidates. WTF? Rubio? Bush? They've brought this on themselves by dismissing their base as trashy rabble and utterly destroying the working class.

And now the Regurgitated Al Sharpton says he will leave the country if Trump is elected.

I almost makes me wonder if Trump is part of a big plot against us. Is the establishment really so blind a stupid to realize that the more they speak against Trump, the more we support him? If they really wanted to bring him down then they should start speaking in favour of him.

I can't stand Trump, his vulgarisms, his bluster and I have yet to see him explain any position. "Lots of plans, we'll have lots of plans" isn't explaining his immigration plan. He's no conservative either which is so ironic considering his base.

flo, you are at a disadvantage in this cycle in that you expect your candidates to have positions that they can articulate, and that make sense. You expect them to be decent folks.

Well, I love you florrie, but... good luck with that!

The candidates from either party with any shot at winning are more or less craven, inchoate shit-pipes. So this who we're stuck with.

There are those Americans without a high level of education or skills, in middle America, for whom the middle class life is slipping away.

What does Rubio offer them? More immigrants to compete with? How does this help them? Cruz? Better, I'd argue, but his chances are slipping away.Hillary? Almost certainly views these Americans with distain and is happy too expand immigration, legal and otherwise. It's what Wall St wants her to do.

So who are the dispossessed Americans going go vote for?

And do I want to vote against them? Why would I?

(Regardless of what I do, I'll be telling everyone I know I'll vote Hillary. Or I'll never work in this town again).

Thanks, lewy, I appreciate your input. I think your points are right on the money and I hear you about what you'll tell your colleagues. Someone I love works in one of the masters/phd fields in uber-liberal Seattle. This person was a life-long republican although I would describe as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. They now self-describe as democrat and although we haven't discussed it, I believe it is due to working (and living) in an overwhelmingly liberal area. We all know how viscious the left are to those that don't follow their ideology. So I don't blame you.

There are those Americans without a high level of education or skills, in middle America, for whom the middle class life is slipping away.

Not just slipping away...gone. Wages have been stagnant for YEARS and YEARS, prices keep going up, taxes keep going up, all the "free" goodies are for someone else, not a working man. Manufacturing plants are closing one after another. The unions have destroyed many businesses up north with their inflated wage and benefit demands. The union workers with their bundle of dough from building widgets for 30 years retire at 50, abandoned the northern cities they destroyed, and move down south where their money will buy a McMansion and a Vette. The right-to-work folks look at them with total and unabridged hatred.

I don't think it's too much to ask to HAVE A VOICE, even if that voice is Trump. Rubio doesn't care two figs for working families in Kansas or Oklahoma. We're all "flyover" people, the wagon-pullers, getting up every day to do the same damn job for the same damn wages we were earning ten to fifteen years ago.

Somebody needs to figure out a way to jump start this economy for the other half of the country...you know, the people who are neither millionaires nor welfare bums. Because we "Americans without a high level of education or skills" are angry. We are very angry.

I believe Trump will be our next president. I think he'll run the board on Tuesday, except for maybe Texas. If he wins Texas, Cruz will be out sooner rather than later.

Will he be a good president? Who knows. But at least he won't be more of the same old bullshit, and nobody can buy him.

I don't make my political views known here either lewy. Nursing is a very lefty (and vindictive) trade. However, I think the tide is beginning to turn.

It won't be pretty when it does.

Florrie, if Mike Lee or Tom Cotton were running, I'd back them all the way. Their time is coming. In the meantime, if the R's attempt a brokered convention after Trump wins the primary, it will be the last nail in their rotten coffin.

Now, let's make some popcorn, open a bottle of wine, and talk about religion. Heh! :) I love that TCKT has room for everyone's opinion, and is not an echo chamber. I've learned so much from all of you! You all always make me think outside the box, and I love it.

I'm drawing a distinction between Trump the movement (which I certainly can't condemn at all, even if I can't summon your level of enthusiasm) and Trump the man (who is an ass; an opinion I will be disabused of only by weight of overwhelming evidence or overwhelming drugs).

I don't know who will be the next president but it looks to be narrowing to Clinton or Trump.

What seems a relatively safe bet to me is that it will be unquestionably the most negative campaign in modern history, and that will be saying something.

The toxic narrative that each will spin will be about 80% correct. On both sides.

Wow. I'm surprised at that, lady red. I'm sorry I shared that very personal story online.

I remember the last primary you described Romney as a "creepy flip-flopper". The confusing thing is...Romney is Trump but without the multiple bankruptcies and divorces, without the sophomoric bloviating and name-calling. Romney did flip flop but he was never on tape endorsing partial-birth abortion or using eminent domain for personal gain. Romney didn't call HRC a "great secy of state" and contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to The Clinton Foundation, The Clinton Initiative as well as to Harry Reid and Nancy Pilosi.

Recently he said "Bush lied" and two days later denied it; when pressed he said he'd have to "see the transcripts". Romney didn't deny direct quotes. Trump has "lots of plans" for immigration and has said deport everybody, deport some, we'll figure it out later. Have a fair tax, have a flat tax, leave the system alone. He immediately "disavowed" the Duke endorsement and the next day doesn't seem to know who he is and has to do "research" on all "these" groups.

No thanks. I'll sit this one out or write in Scott Walker. I too love that TCKT has room for everyone's opinion.

OT, has anyone ever read his books? Mommy Knows Worst, Gallery of Regrettable Foods, Interior Desecrations, they are HILARIOUS!!! (The last one about interior design from the 50's to 70's actually had some of my parents linoleum and carpeting :-)

This is weird. I went to vote today, and instead of "Independent" the designation is "non-partisan". Okay. So I hand my "non-partisan" ticket to the voting booth guy and asked him what kind of ballot I was getting. (In the past, I have always been asked whether I wanted an R or a D ballot). Well, the guy says that everyone will be on the ballot and just to pick who I want. Okay....sounds strange, but whatever.

I get to the voting machine, and it starts off with judges. WTF? Okay, I'll play. I vote for the three judge slots, and then it goes to the two bond issues. I look at the bottom, and it says "page 2 of 2". Huh?

So I stop and wave over the election volunteer. He says that's all I get to vote for since I'm "non-partisan". I said "excuse me? I ASKED you before we cued up this machine!" He's flustered, and I'm shocked. He reaches over and hits the "vote" button. For me.

I just stared at him and then left the precinct. This is a very small community and I'm not about to unload on a volunteer who's obviously in over his head. But WTF?

I'll be contacting the election commission or whatever they're called here in Arkansas. Am I seeing this wrong, because it looks to me like a blatant attempt to rig the primary. How can they suddenly keep Indies from casting a primary vote?

Same here, lewy. Our ballots are all mail in, it's easy, drop boxes are all over the place.

It's also (pitifully) exactly the same here, I could vote for The Bern and it wouldn't matter as our state is deep blue as well, votes late, mine doesn't count either. So it's really irrelevant who I support.

Florrie, like you,I know my prezzy vote doesn't count for squat, but there were three men running for sheriff on the R ticket and my vote DOES count there. Plus, I spent hours doing research on all the people running for all the offices. I feel deflated, like a used up balloon. I think I'm getting old and daffy. Or daffy and old.

Quick, someone make me an old-fashioned with muddled geritol and a B-12 garnish. And a straw. *slurp* :))

A brokered convention = disaster for the GOP. Do you think Trump Nation would riot? More likely they'd strategically gather in groups around the convention center, armed to the teeth, quietly chewing on a piece of straw (while the wimmin folk sharpen their curtain rods).

That is my ideal outcome. It would both kill the Republican Party and demonstrate to a good number of European-Americans that if they are to secure their future, they need their own voice.....then, their own state.

Lou Dobbs was really ticked off at the Romney/Ryan show. He stated that they should (to paraphrase) STFD and STFU, that they're both dullards, that they had their chance, and that if they care one whit about the R party they'll support Trump. What a crazy primary!

Good thing I don't put any stock in what Lou Dobbs says :-)Romney and Ryan are as entitled to their opinions on the 2016 slate of candidates as is Lou Dobbs. The difference is...they aren't trying to stifle the opinions of Lou Dobbs.

Sure, I'd think Rubio would support Cruz over Trump but I don't think he will drop out. If he loses Florida, maybe; I believe he's behind around 15 points in the RCP average for FL.

I don't think I've ever seen such a cat fight among pundits/candidates. It seems like every time someone dismisses/bashes Trump, he gains more support. You'd think these guys would figure it out.

Mitt looked like the grown-up in the room, and he sounded great, but his speech can be condensed to "Trump is a pooty-head". To which, Trump supporters have responded "no, YOU'RE a pooty-head times two!".

Thank you for "taking one for the team" and watching it for us. I figured it would be a grade school rock fight.

It's a good thing the dems are is such disarray as well, or we'd lose this damn election before it ever started. It's no wonder everyone is fed up; conservatives, libertarians, even blue dog dems have had it with the caterwauling. Do they think they're distracting us from the issues? Because they're not.

I predict STRANGE BEDFELLOWS in the days and years to come, until we right this ship,

Much of it was a grade school rock fight, lady red. But there were good bits and pieces.

This is just my opinion but the last few months I've enjoyed all the candidates so much more in the town-hall format than any of the debates. I wish the RNC would consider that instead, the public would learn much more about each one's positions on the issues instead of the silly tactic of pitting them against each other.

Yes, thank goodness the dems have such a horrible person as HRC for their candidate. Whoever ends up as our nominee must be able to unite everyone behind them. That's what I pray for, the SCOTUS nominations are so important.